BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – The bulk of the selections in the NHL Draft come on day two. Due to the pandemic, the sample size for current video and seeing players in-person is much smaller. Therefore, there were far fewer than normal games played. In some cases, no games were played at all.
College players had a much shorter-than-usual schedule. Most schools had conference-only matchups, except for a few schools that managed to get in a few non-conference meetings.
In Canadian junior hockey, only the QMJHL was able to play a division-only schedule, albeit an interrupted one. The WHL played just 25 divisional games while over in the OHL. They didn’t play at all.
Meanwhile, in the United States, the highest junior league, the tier-1 USHL, played a 54-game schedule, with many players that weren’t selected, but that should have been.
The breakdown of the final draft numbers is a bit surprising. In the major junior category, the WHL had 31 players selected. The QMJHL saw 24 drafted. The inactive OHL saw 22 of its players chosen, the same for the USHL. Finally, the tier-2 NAHL had one picked.
Outside of the three studs from Michigan taken in the first five picks, two (2) other collegiate players were taken in the remainder of the draft.
There were 91 players selected from Europe.
ASSESSING WHO TO SELECT
In terms of the ever-critical development picture, so many scouts were making assessments on year-old games or based their opinions on an incomplete ’20-’21 season, with video as their only guide. Players have grown physically and mentally, but their in-game reps and in-person scouting assessments were critically lacking.
Like New York Rangers first-round pick Brennan Othermann, who holds dual citizenship in Europe (Switzerland), and Chase Stillman, the grandson of former New Haven Nighthawk and Ranger, ninth round (154th overall) 1975 draft choice, Bud Stefanski, took a chance. Instead, they played in Denmark as they sought a less affected COVID country and giving themselves a heightened chance of being scouted.
Scouts were put to the test this draft to fill organizational needs with hidden gems that nobody else had found. As a result, the dice were tossed all over NHL Draft rooms.
MORROW GOES IN ROUND TWO
The town of Darien is becoming a CT hockey hotbed of late. First, goalie Spencer Knight was drafted. He now skates for the Florida Panthers. Then, when the Carolina Hurricanes made their second pick (40th overall), they chose the right-handed shooting defenseman, Scott Morrow.
Steve Morrow, his father, was drafted by the Flyers as a tenth-round pick in the 1987 Draft (209th overall). He had a brief minor-league pro career with the Hershey Bears (AHL) and the Ft. Worth Texans (CHL). Recently, he coached in the Mid-Fairfield Rangers youth hockey program.
He is named after his uncle, Scott, drafted by the Hartford Whalers in the fifth round (95th overall) in the 1988 NHL Draft. He never made it to Hartford but did play for their AHL farm team, the Springfield Indians. He had a ten-year minor league pro career.
The younger Morrow has skated the last five years in the Shattuck’s St. Mary’s Sabres program (MNPREP), bypassing public and prep school hockey in the Nutmeg State. Instead, he’s heading to play for the defending national champion UMASS-Amherst Minutemen (HE) program coached by Greg Carvel after de-committing from traditional hockey powerhouse, North Dakota (NCHC).
Morrow sent a PowerPoint presentation to Shattuck’s-the modern-day version of the handwritten letter, which speaks about his commitment, use of modern technology, and maturity shown at a young age.
Morrow was one of four Shattuck’s players drafted this weekend. He played with UCONN’s Artem Schlaine and will be his opponent this upcoming college season.
He played two regular season USHL games with the Youngstown (OH) Phantoms, and he was traded twice. First, from Youngstown to the Sioux City (IA) Musketeers and had his rights dealt to the Fargo (ND) Force, he played six playoff games. He was also a 2018 QMJHL draftee of the Val d‘Or Foreurs.
MORE SECOND ROUND
The last pick of the second round, 64th overall, was Oliver Kapanen, nephew of Whaler favorite, Sami Kapanen, and the cousin of the Penguins’ Kasperi.
He played for the KalPa U-20 team and is slated to play for KalPa Kuopio (Finland-FEL) this season and is WJC eligible and played for Finland’s U-18 this spring.
Sami, a fourth-round Whalers’ draftee in 1988, is currently the head coach with HC Lugano (Switzerland-LNA). He played 831 NHL games with Hartford, the Carolina Hurricanes, and the Philadelphia Flyers. His grandfather Hannu played for the 1976 Finnish Olympic team and their World Championship squad.
Other notables included the Arizona Coyotes, who were penalized by the NHL for their indiscretion in the NHL Combine process under former GM Jeff Chayka. They lost their first-round pick as a penalty imposed by the NHL took forward Josh Doan from the formidable Chicago Steel (USHL) program.
Doan’s father, Shane, is the Coyotes all-time top player in every category for the troubled franchise’s history. He was passed over last year in the 2020 Draft, but a big season paid off. He was a 2017 Kamloops Blazers (WHL) draftee on his father’s team.
He will skate for the Arizona St. Sun Devils, an NCAA Division-I independent program with no conference at this time.
OTHER PICKS
Samuel Helenius, a 6’6 center, was taken by the LA Kings 59th overall. He played for JYP (Finland-FEL) and is WJC eligible and played in the tourney last year.
His father Sami was a 6’5 defenseman with 155 NHL games with the Calgary Flames, the Dallas Stars, and the Tampa Bay Lightning. He also played 296 AHL games with Saint John’s, Utah, and Hershey, plus 56 IHL games with Las Vegas and Chicago.
ROUND THREE
With the first pick in the third-round (65th overall), the Rangers chose 6’3, 190-pound center Jayden Grubbe.
Last year, he played only five games and was captain of the Red Deer Rebels (WHL), coached by NHL’er Brent Sutter of the famous hockey-playing Sutter family. In his rookie WHL season, he played 59 games with six goals and 23 assists.
He has a younger 15-year brother Jordan playing in Alberta bantam hockey.
The Rangers’ second pick in the third round was another center, Ryder Korczak of the Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL). He played 17 games with three goals and 13 assists but was a minus-11. In 62 games in the 2019-20 season for the Warriors, Korczak had 18 goals and 67 points but was a startling minus-40.
His older Kaedan is a member of the Vegas Golden Knights, a second-round draftee who split last year with Kelowna Rockets (WHL) and the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL).
His father, Chad, is the general manager of their hometown Yorkton Maulers (SMAAAHL) team.
With the 71st pick, the St. Louis Blues took Simon Robertsson, former Wolf Pack/Ranger Bert Robertsson’s son. He played with three teams last year Skellefteå AIK (Sweden-SHL), Skellefteå AIK J-20 and Piteå HC (Hockey Ettan). He was sent home from the WJC Finland with a positive COVID test but did play for the WJC U-18 team. He is expected to play for the Skellefteå AIK (SHL and J-20) squads in the fall and remains WJC eligible.
ROUND FOUR
In the fourth round, the Rangers had three selections.
Brody Lamb, taken 104th overall, is a University Minnesota Golden Gophers (Big 10) commit in the fall. He skated for three teams last season. The Dodge County High School team in Kasson, MN, where, in 24 games, he had 52 goals and 87 points.
The second team was a travel team TDS Construction (USSEHL). In 19 games, Lamb had 12 goals and 23 points. He also had ten games with the USHL Green Bay Gamblers, where he had two assists playing for former Beast of New Haven’s Pat Miskesch, who is the head coach and GM of the Gamblers. In 53 games total, he had 64 goals and 111 points.
He played three playoff games between TDS and Green Bay with one assist.
His father, Jeff, played collegiately for the University of Denver Pioneers then in the WCHA and had a brief three-year minor pro career two with the original Maine Mariners (AHL) and his last season with the Phoenix Roadrunners (IHL).
FINAL FOURTH-ROUNDER
Then three picks later, at 107th, they selected their first European pick of this draft, 6’4 185 lb. 18-year-old LW Kalle Väisänen from TPS Turku U-20 team where he skated in 27 games with nine goals, 21 assists for 30 points and played one game with the U-18 team.
He is slated to play for TPS Turku (Finland-FEL) this year and is WJC eligible. His father Markku played in the Finnish league professionally for eight years and coached at various times in four years in the lower levels of Finnish hockey.
Then five slots later, at 112th overall, the Rangers’ third pick in the round, the team went for a tall goalie and the biggest player in the draft. At 6’8, they chose Talyn Boyko from the Tri-City (WA) Americans (WHL). In his third season, he played 14 games with a 3.02 GAA, .901 save percentage, and had a record of 7-7-0.
He turns 19 in October, so he will likely return for the fourth season of junior hockey.
Then forward, Ethan Cardwell was taken 121st overall by the San Jose Sharks. He is the nephew of former New Haven Knights (UHL) player Matt Cardwell. He plays with the Barrie Colts (OHL), but last year laced them up for Surahammers IF (Sweden HockeyEtttan Division-1 third tier) and had 27 points in 18 games and had a team-best plus-10.
ROUND FIVE
With the 144th overall pick, the Rangers chose forward Jaroslav Chmelar, an 18-year native of the Czech Republic. He played in Finland for the Jokerit U-18/U-20 teams and played for the Czech national J-18 team in the J-18 tournament held in Canada. He stands at 6’4 and weighs 198-pounds. He shoots right-handed.
Detroit took Oscar Plandowski, a Selects Academy at South Kent team member, in 2018-19. He played last season for the Charlottetown (PEI) Islanders. His father, Darryl, is the Director of Amateur Scouting for Arizona.
From the Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL), Cameron MacDonald was selected with the last pick in the round (160th) by the Standley Cup Champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning. He also played for the Selects Academy at South Kent Prep program in 2018-19 and out in a game with the CT Jr, Rangers (NCDC) that season.
Other interesting players of note who were taken in the round include the Carolina Hurricanes selection of Robert Orr, no relation to the great Robert Gordon Orr, aka Bobby Orr. This Orr playing for former Hartford Wolf Pack assistant coach J.J. Daigneault with the Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL).
The Hurricanes also took Justin Robidas, born in Plano, Texas, and is the son of former NHL’er Stéphane Robidas (937 games).
Arizona took Manix Landry, the son of long-time AHL and European player Éric Landry, who had a brief NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens.
ROUND SIX
Selecting 186th overall, the Edmonton Oilers took Shane LaChance, the son of Bristol-born Scott LaChance.
His father was drafted out of BU in the 1st round (4th overall) by the New York Islanders in the 1991 Draft. His uncle Bob LaChance skated for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL) and Danbury Trashers (UHL). His grandfather is legendary long-time Boston University head coach Jack Parker.
LaChance played last year for the Boston Jr. Bruins (NCDC) and is enrolled and has played for Tabor Academy (MAPREP). He is a 2022-23 commit to the Boston University Terriers (HE), to no one’s surprise.
ROUND SEVEN
The Rangers’ last draft selection was a defenseman—Hank Kempf from the Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL), who was taken 208th overall. In 26 games, the 6’2 190-pound rearguard had four goals and 10 points and was a plus-5.
He is a Cornell Big Red (ECACHL) commit in the fall.
Early in the last round Ryan McCleary, the son of former New Haven Senators and NHL’er Trent McCLeary, was selected 194th by Pittsburgh. McLeary was the fifth-youngest taken at age 17 and the fifth lightest at 154 lbs.
TRADES
After nine seasons in Columbus with the Blue Jackets, right-wing Cam Arkinson (Riverside/Avon Old Farms) was moved to the Philadelphia Flyers for defenseman Jakub Voracek.
NOTES
The Rangers announced that defenseman Tony DeAngelo had cleared waivers. His buyout is now complete and his turbulent Rangers career is finished. He is now a free agent.
The 6’8 240-pound goalie, Hugo Ollas, a draft pick last year from Sweden, commits to Merrimack College (HE) in the fall. He is WJC eligible.
The AHL Henderson Silver Knights will have 61 games next season at their present temporary home of Orleans Arena. They will play their final home games and post-season hockey in their brand-new Dollar Loan Center starting April 2, 2022.
The Springfield Thunderbirds had two big signings from the parent St. Louis Blues. First, Australian veteran winger Nathan Walker signed a two-year two-way deal at $750K-NHL/$300K-AHL. The other is a one-year, two-way for winger Nolan Stevens. The deal pays him $700K for play in the NHL and $100K in the AHL. Stevens comes to Springfield, where his AHL Hall of Fame father, John Walker, played for the Springfield Indians. He won a Cader Cup in 1990-91 and is currently an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars.
The parent clubs of the Ontario Reign and Tucson Roadrunners conducted an AHL trade. Los Angeles (Reign) sent Cole Hults and Bokondji Imama to the Arizona Coyotes (Roadrunners) for Brayden Burke and Tyler Steenbergen.
The Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning signed Gemel Smith to a two-way, two-year deal paying $750K-NHL/$250K-AHL.
